Semantics, but possibly philosophical

Except for the fact that in many places, "subdivision" has a specific meaning per the code, I think it's largely semantic.
I did notice once, though, that around the early 1950s (the time when car-oriented suburban development really took off) that plats here in Houston started changing their subtitles from "an addition to the City of Houston" to "a subdivision in the City of Houston." Maybe I'm reading too much into the word choice, but it was notable to me.